More in Fungicides

I've written about the Mix Tank app before, and now they've released an update. If you haven't already downloaded the app, do it now. It's an easy-to-use tool for spray management and chemical applications....More

More adverse spring weather and the northern spread of herbicide-resistant marestail find more reduced-tillage farmers considering fall residual herbicide applications. “Fall applications have risen dramatically in the last few years and will continue to grow,” says Regan Wear, CHS agronomy manager in Shipman, Ill. “Erratic, wet, cold springs have narrowed the planting window and fueled interest in fall residual herbicide applications because they really sharpen up timing the following spring.”...More

You plan years ahead for crop rotation, fertilizer and machinery acquisitions. Since the rise of glyphosate-resistant weeds, you should be doing the same for your herbicide program, says Lisa Behnken, a Minnesota Extension crops specialist....More

The University of Illinois Extension has received many questions about applying herbicides post-harvest to control emerged marestail plants. Fall-applied herbicides often provide more effective and consistent control of emerged marestail as compared with spring-applied (i.e., burndown) herbicides, says Aaron Hager, weed specialist with U of IL Extension. Here are tips from the Extension service for fall-applying herbicide to control emerged marestail....More

With corn and soybean harvest underway in all major producing states, farmers are thinking about herbicide applications this fall. Aside from weed management, there are other factors to be considered when applying herbicide after harvest including: spring weather uncertainty, impact on soil conditions, pest interactions....More

Before you run that combine through every acre of your fields, I’d highly recommend reading “Resistant Palmer amaranth hits the Midwest." This weed is a game changer, and if left unchecked without multiple herbicide modes of control, you can literally lose a field in three years’ time....More

On July 6, 2011, Joe Steinkamp changed his entire weed-management program. Steinkamp raises seed soybeans and white corn on Ohio River bottomland near Evansville, Ind. On that July day two years ago, his neighbor brought over some weeds that had survived Roundup. “He said, ‘Joe, do you know that these are?’ I said, ‘I sure do!’ ”...More

Michael Gray, University Illinois professor of crop sciences, says a recent survey of corn and soybean insects shows that insect levels are low across the state. The survey was taken across randomly selected corn and soybean fields during the first and third weeks of August....More

Recently, populations of Palmer amaranth have been identified in several Illinois counties. The density of many populations is relatively low, and often these plants occur only in small patches. However, a few scattered plants this year can lead to severe infestations within only a few years....More

It's time to start scouting corn fields for corn earworm and western bean cutworm. Here are management tips, from insecticide use to best management practices to keep these corn insects in check this season....More

Farmers who spray fungicide on corn “just as a precaution,” don’t have to worry this year about Extension specialists applying a guilt trip to them. Plant pathologists from several Corn Belt universities are suggesting fungicide applications on corn and others are recommending it. But farmers who apply a fungicide are doing it because there is more of a threat this year, than just doing it because it might boost the yield....More

Recently there have been several inquiries about the presence of glyphosate-resistant volunteer soybeans in corn fields and cost-effective control options. These volunteers emerge from seed that shattered before soybean harvest or fell during combining. Historically, soybeans are not considered a serious volunteer weed problem in corn because they are not very competitive and several herbicide options are available to control them in corn....More

Larger operations and larger equipment to cover more acres have changed how farmers purchase and handle pesticides. In the last 15 years, caged pesticide tanks have found a useful place on the farm and, in many cases, haven’t left. Now The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance is stepping up to take agriculture pesticide container recycling to a new level by supporting the efforts of moving empty caged pesticide tanks off farms....More

It’s time for soybean growers to submit applications for the 2014 Conservation Legacy Awards. The annual award recognizes farmers who distinguish themselves through outstanding environmental and conservation practices while continuing to farm profitably. All U.S. soybean farmers are eligible to enter....More

When weeds become resistant to herbicides, the advantage of growing herbicide-resistant crops is lost. Farming practices that limit the emergence of resistant weeds offer another means of control and thwart weeds’ effect on soybean crop production. Finding the right combinations of weed control methods can improve yields and reduce dependence on chemical weed control....More

Early-season weed competition resulted in as much as 40-bu./acre yield loss according to data found in some South Dakota State University Research Plots. "Everyone knows that weeds in fields create competition for water and nutrients and can cause significant yield loss, but many neglect the effects of just early-season weeds on crop yield," says Mark Rosenberg South Dakota State University agronomy and weeds field specialist....More

It’s another post-emergence application (post) soybean season, and we have largely been receiving questions similar to the past several years. These include how to manage giant ragweed, pokeweed and a few other perennials, vines and marestail (good luck there)....More

The weed science program at the University of Illinois is offering free screenings for herbicide resistance in waterhemp to Illinois farmers during the 2013 growing season. Aaron Hager, associate professor of weed sciences at U of I, says with continued financial support from the Illinois Soybean Association, over 1,000 plant samples have been screened through the collaborative effort between the U of I and the ISA....More

After starting the season with clean fields at planting, now is the time to focus on early-season weed control to maintain maximum yield potential. For corn, weeds can reduce yield as soon as the V2 stage or when corn is roughly 6-8 in. tall....More

Early and accurate identification of Palmer amaranth plants, including waterhemp, coupled with implementation of an integrated management program are essential to reduce the potential for crop yield loss due to interference of Palmer amaranth. Proper management of Palmer amaranth populations can help reduce the potential for successful seed production that will augment the soil seedbank and perpetuate the population in future growing seasons.

Choosing the right type of sprayer nozzle can make a huge difference in how effective pesticides are during a growing season and whether growers have to re-spray their fields or in some cases, replant, says Erdal Ozkan, an agricultural engineering professor and spray technology expert with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC)....More

Over the past several days, growers have increasingly been looking for options to control marestail after corn and soybean emergence, says University of Illinois Associate Professor of Weed Sciences Aaron Hager. “Many have reported poor marestail control from herbicides applied prior to planting (primarily no-till soybean), especially when these burndown applications contained only glyphosate or glyphosate and 2,4-D."...More

With very tight windows of opportunity to plant this year, pre-emergence herbicides may not have been applied as planned. Application of a residual herbicide prior to planting or emergence of the crop, in both corn and soybean, is a great weed management strategy overall and also a key tool in managing against herbicide resistance. What are some options if soybeans emerged before a pre-emergence herbicide application was made?...More